


Method of Inquiry

by squirrellysemantics



Category: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2 - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-12-21
Updated: 2011-04-12
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:27:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrellysemantics/pseuds/squirrellysemantics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezio learns more about this artist his mother keeps talking about.</p><p>Set in game for AC2 prior to Umberto Alberti's betrayal.  Spoiler free for ACB</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Preemptive warning that there will be exploration of bondage and D/s for this pairing, just not yet.  
> I do not own AC2 or any of its characters.

Leonardo tossed the bag of supplies from his back and heaved himself out onto overheated red tile, sweat trickling down the small of his back.  The Tuscan sun had done its best to bake the denizens of Firenze and the warmth of the day still radiated from the rooftops.  He divested himself of his doublet and sighed at the relief brought by a breeze of early evening.  It was rare that he had the chance to look over the city from a perspective such as this and he berated himself for not taking more opportunity to do so.  The commissions from Madonna Maria kept him busy and for that he was grateful, but it left him little time to indulge small pleasures such as these.

The seclusion of being flagged by two taller buildings made the spot everything that he’d hoped for. Guards rarely came this far north which only heightened his satisfaction. Rolling up his sleeves, he set himself to work, extricating with care the bulky clock that he had so gingerly carried up ladder after ladder to his current vantage point.  Even if he found its size ponderous, the clock had been the smallest he’d yet been able to produce.  He eased upright, the lack of wind pleasing him greatly.  This night had been planned out in great detail.  Rustling through the bag, he pulled out a rock and walked to the roof’s precipitous edge and let it fall from his hand.  

Ticking off with the clock: one, two- ah!  The satisfying clatter of the rock hitting the empty road below put a small grin on his face.  With a few more adjustments, the clock would be precise enough for him to study the motion of falling objects but for now it was enough.  He reached back into his back and pulled out a broad piece of linen- painstakingly stitched and seams gummed closed- that formed a shape of a pyramid.  Picking out a stone that had been equal in weight to the first, he settled the rock into the basket specially created for it that created a tether to the linen.  Back along the edge, he held the pyramid and its passenger at its peak and let… it… go.

One, two, three, four, five- He cautiously peered over the side to watch the cloth balloon out, the air underneath it slowing its descent to the earth below.  His mind was already awhirl; triumphant for the barest of an instant before calculating just what dimensions he would need to scale his creation to deliver a man could safely to the earth below.  It so consumed him that the clatter of footsteps nearby took some time to sink in.  Leonardo looked up from his hiding spot just as a sleek silhouette flew overhead.

There was huffing and puffing of someone in not so quick pursuit. “Get back here, stronzo!” 

A guard gasping as if he would draw his last breath there and then balked at the treacherous jump between buildings, halting at the overlook just above Leonardo to force the artist back into the shadows.  Clutching at his side, the guard doubled over to catch what air he could – much to Leonardo’s misfortune.

“You -“ The man was red faced as he panted, furious to find another transgressor so soon and one witness to his failure no less. “Should not be up here!”  Finding the energy to unsheathe his dagger, the guard jumped to Leonardo’s level more than content to go after easier prey.

 “Please!”  Leonardo tried to back up more but there was little room remaining.  “I… I am just here to appreciate the view! Really… no harm done!  If you could just see fit to let me go-“

“No! No more -chasing!” The guard spoke in grunts, rage contorting his face.  “Make- a lesson- of you!”

Leonardo felt his heart climb into his throat, all his focus tunneling on the blade reflecting the pale moon’s glow. Spirito Santo. 

A shadow fell across them both from above and a flurry of violence as another body appeared from nowhere.  It was all fists and blows and at the end of it all the guard was a bloodied, groaning mess atop what was left of the precious clock.  The last thing Leonardo expected to see was the handsome face of his patron’s son blossoming into a smile of recognition.

“Messer da Vinci!”

They both looked up as more footsteps rang out on clay tile, growing louder and louder as they approached.   A myriad of voices echoed off of walls. “He must be around here somewhere!  Find him!”

The young man bashfully scratched at the back of his neck, looking quite apologetic.  “I think it may be best if we were to leave.” 

Scrambling up the heights and they were off, sprinting along the rooftops like madmen. 

“My apologies for dropping you into this guard business!” the young man – Ezio, his name was Ezio- called out as he ran.  He continued to lead the way, not a bit out of breath.  “I don’t usually bump into others out here.”

Doing his best to keep up,  Leonardo was amazed at how effortless the man made it seem.  “’Usually?’  Do this often, do you?”

The rakish grin Ezio shot over his shoulder almost made the artist falter.  “Quite often!”  Without missing a beat, he launched himself between buildings to land in a nimble roll before reaching his feet again.  The man turned, waiting for the other man to follow.

Leonardo paused at the gap, but the guards were still in pursuit.  With a hesitant start, he made the jump but barely- Ezio grabbing his hand to help steady him.

The young man regarded the artist with that grin still settled on his face. “You have me intrigued, Messer da Vinci.”

“Please.  Leonardo.”

The grin grew broader.  “You have me intrigued, Leonardo.”  Ezio took a quick glance back at their pursuers closing in and was off again.  “What brings you to the rooftops so late at night?”

Running was not precisely the artist’s strong suit.  “An experiment,” he gasped.  “Testing a new design of mine from concept to reality.”

“So you meant what you said about wanting to change the world?”

“Of course!”  It was all he manage as they continued to race.

“And what was this experiment?”

“A simple one.”  Leonardo gulped another lungful of air.  “Understanding how we can affect the descent of falling objects.”

Ezio barked out a laugh as he scaled a wall of a close tower.  “Perhaps I could help you with that.  I have some passing familiarity with the concept.”

It was with difficulty that Leonardo followed.  He clambered over the tiled overlay just in time to see a group of pigeons at Ezio’s feet take to the air, startled by the presence of man. 

Leonardo felt his stomach flutter as he joined the young man at the tower’s far corner.  He cautiously peeked over the edge. They had climbed quite high, higher than expected, tiny hay cart looking impossibly far away.  No outlet except the way that they had come and the guards were still hot on their heels.  “We’re trapped.”

He could feel Ezio’s breath warm his ear.  “Have a little faith, Leonardo.”

An arm wrapped around his waist and suddenly they were falling, falling.

Loose shirt sleeves flapping as the wind raced past.

 All of time frozen and racing by all at once. 

It was- exhilarating.

And then… Oof!  The hay cart should never have been able to cushion them both but it did, coarse stems digging into Leonardo’s shoulder.

“As I was saying,” Ezio whispered as if hiding in a cart of hay were the most normal thing in all the world. “You could consider me sort of an expert in falling.”

Leonardo tried to contain his laughter.  “I suppose I could find some use for you.”  

“Perfecto!” the man said softly, his smile still visible in what little light filtered through. “My mother just mentioned that I need new outlets.”

  



	2. Chapter 2

“Again!” Leonardo commanded, eyes pale and glittering in what little light was left to the night sky. He was not so far gone in his current obsession that he missed the moment of weariness from the young man who had been so gracious as to acquiesce to his demands all day. “One last time,” he pleaded of the man. “Per favore?”

 

Ezio leaned against the hay cart, picking away a stray leaf attempting to take up residence beneath his waistcoat. “One last time,” the man echoed before a charming smile appeared. “But then we dine, si?”

 

“Certainly!” the artist returned, brightening in delight. “Whatever your heart desires! You only need ask.'”

 

This middle son of his patron was most perplexing. Brash, impulsive- like most men of his age and station-but playful and inquisitive. Anyone else might rest on their laurels, but this one wrung what he could from life - there was activity in every second, every minute. There were few of Leonardo's usual admirers who would have even considered dirtying their hands in the scheme they were currently undertaking much less take such pleasure in it.

 

“Ma-don-na, Leonardo! I could devour an armful of pheasant! Or perhaps a score of rabbit.” Speaking did little to slow Ezio as he scaled the side of the tower with ease. “I should warn you my appetites are great!”

 

This came as no surprise.

 

Leonardo took a moment to watch the lithe form, elegant as any dancer, and called out,"I would bring you an entire boar should you wish it."

 

So fascinating. The man had little interest in the creative arts, another radical departure from the coterie of followers that Leonardo was accustomed to. It was a shame, for Ezio was most pleasing to the eye- a form that would enhance any work should he consent to pose for it as its subject. But it was clear Ezio could not bear to be still long enough for an artist to capture even a fraction of the man's spirit.

 

"Two boars! All to myself!" Almost to the top already, one could still see the handsome man's smile was unwavering. His dexterity landed him an impossible foothold, reading the building's architecture with the familiarity of a well-loved book. "And wine. Much, much wine!"

 

Maria had spoken sweetly of her sons and Leonardo would never speak ill of any mother but she was surely wrong thrusting a career path on Ezio. It seemed impossible this man would spend his days languishing behind a desk no matter what the lovely woman said. It had been clear the man himself held some disatissfaction in it, spending his evenings running rooftop to rooftop to outrun the potential of a drab and dull future.

 

Yes. Ezio was a puzzle. And a delightful one at that.

 

The amusement in Leonardo's voice was clear as he answered, ”Of course!”

 

Ezio crouched down on the eagle's perch, completely unconcerned by the height. "Ready?" he boomed. "It would be a shame if you missed it. Another climb and my hunger would force you to carry me home."

 

This would not be such a burden. Leonardo gathered his pad and pencils just the same. "Ready!"

 

He needn't have bothered. Notes and sketches would come later -much later- as he replayed this stunning free fall, this temporary flight in his mind's eye over and over again. His heart was in his throat as Ezio launched from the building.

 

The whole process was as astonishing as the first time Leonardo had experienced it, though truly he was a bit occupied at the time to fully appreciate it. It began as a leap much as a diver would, muscular body unfurling and elongating to slice through the air. Decreasing wind resistance, of course, so the trajectory was less affected. Perhaps the use of a taller tower at the next opportunity, to see just what adjustment was needed for the greater height.

 

Approaching the end of the fall the beautiful form tucked and half rolled, back to the earth with the trust of a babe being settled into its cradle. This must slow the descent, to make the landing more palatable. It ended with little fanfare, near noiselessly in the pile of hay in its cart- a cushion that in theory would seem woefully inadequate but was sufficient in practice.

 

Elegant in its simplicity.

 

Skillfull in its execution.

 

Exquisite.

 

A disembodied voice lofted above the hay. "I hope that satisfies your needs."

 

“More than satisfied, amico! You've been most kind.” Leonardo approached, scribbling calculations as fast as he could. "The only thing I lack is the means to measure the duration of your fall."

 

Ezio emerged from the cart noiselessly, leaves and stems clinging everywhere. "Such as that clock? From the night on the rooftops?"

 

"Yes," the artist answered with a tinge at the memory of the abandoned timepiece. "It will be some time before I can assemble the parts required to make a new one that was as portable but no matter!" He brushed away a stray leaf from Ezio's collar. "As I promised, let us get you fed!"

 

"Not before I do some washing if I may," Ezio said tugging at his shirt sleeves. "I would prefer to eat without the odor of one who had spent the night in a stable."

______________

 

Ezio was true to his word, devouring an entire loaf of pane within seconds of being seated for dinner.

 

It had taken some doing to find spare clothes that would fit Ezio's broader form once his ablutions were complete. The shirt was easy enough but the trousers meant for its more slender owner clung to the man in obscene ways. His long hair seemed even longer, weighed down by the water still leaving droplets on his skin.

 

Food was laid out before Leonardo but remained mostly untouched, just as it always did when distracted by a jumble of imaginings.

 

He was not one to listen to rumor but he often caught his assistants gossiping like old hens. How odd they found it that their master- a thinker, a planner- would spend his time with a man they thought an idle hedonist that filled his days with brawling and his nights with flesh of the feminine persuasion. Complete opposites, they whispered.

 

But that could not be so. How else could one explain their camaraderie, their easy affection?

 

Ezio was clearly a man who lived in the moment, doing little to rein in his impulses for he had little call to do so. Not so different from Leonardo in that respect. His sometimes fickle art was a reflection of that.

 

Perhaps this was the key. Yes! Assuredly so.

 

Neither wished to be bound by the constraints imposed by others. Where one tested limits of the mind, the other tested the limits of the body.

 

They were more alike than at first glance.

 

The difference between them was likely a matter of guidance. Leonardo had been under Verrocchio's tutelage from a young age but Ezio had been idle, left to his own devices. The young man was a block of marble; roughly hewn and unpolished but beautiful in its own right. And under the right touch, who knew what would be revealed?

 

Leonardo would call himself content with a great friendship if not for this tantalizing flirtation and his own desires. But the past contained missteps in the ways of both lust and love with no urge to run afoul of the law and more accusations unless he could be fully certain. Wine weighed heavily in his cup. He drained the contents, hoping his stare was not as obvious as it felt.

 

“An empty glass is a crime against nature.”

 

The words dragged Leonardo from his thoughts to see Ezio offering the carafe of wine and a smile that made him want to reach across the table, laws be damned. He accepted the generous pour with a quickening heart.

 

“So tell me Ezio,” he began, curiosity burning. “What keeps you returning to my door? Flinging yourself off of rooftops for my amusement is not the only thing, surely?”

 

A deep throated chuckle. “You are quite correct. My body still hasn't forgiven me for tonight's little exercise.” Ezio slumped a little in his chair, taking his turn to observe the other man through hooded eyes. "If I had to choose one thing it would be the way you think. It intrigues me."

 

Ah, there it was. Like a blade, razor sharp and piercing straight through to the heart of the matter.

 

Leonardo passed a platter of fruit, fighting to stay casual. "How so?"

 

The young man pried a cluster of grapes from the the platter. "You see facets of the world that others do not see." He tossed one in the air and caught it easily with that luscious mouth. "I like that."

 

Ezio made a show of selecting another grape from the ones in his hand. "And if we are asking questions I must know how you bear my presence." With an impish grin he flicked it across the table, a high arc that permitted the older man to catch it. "Most do not find me so tolerable."

 

"Forgive me if I find that difficult to believe," the artist murmured, contemplating the tiny fruit as a welcome distraction. He rolled the grape between thumb and index finger. Full of juice and brightly colored, it was meant to be consumed, its sole purpose to ensure the propagation of the parent plant. Sacrificing itself to allow for the survival of future generations. So sad, really. Eyes closed, he touched the grape to his mouth, using the barest tip of his tongue to savor the aroma. He realized that he had not answered the question and opened his eyes. "I have always found you to be most pleasant co...company."

It was the sight that greeted him that had made him falter.

 

An intent Ezio, feeling his own lips in an unconscious mirror of the artist's pose. His gaze was locked on the minutiae of the older man's movements with an appreciative look that held enough sensuality to arouse the dead.

 

Leonardo barely noted the sugar exploding on his tongue or the mess on his fingers as he bit into the offering he was given. That such a small act had Ezio enthralled- porco Dio, what multitude of things Leonardo would do to this man. The artist chewed slowly, settling his hands on the table to better mind them. It would have been too easy otherwise to pull Ezio to him, to stroke and tease and caress just to see what response he would get.

 

That broke the spell, a small hint of color appearing on Ezio's cheeks. "I am glad to hear it."

 

For the first time since Leonardo had known him, a shadow of uncertainty crossed Ezio's face, a reminder that this well of self assurance was not yet twenty.

 

Ezio sat up, leaning forward to rest a palm on the table- not quite touching the juice stained fingers that were splayed out opposite. "It would be upsetting if my presence troubled you."

 

Another offering.

 

Impossible to resist.

 

Leonardo let his fingers creep forward, reaching the back of the powerful hand with the slightest of touches. "Your presence troubles me-" he began, tracing an intricate pattern, following the bones and blood vessels that came together to create such raw strength. "But in a manner I would very much like to explore."

 

The prolonged silence was worrisome. Had he miscalculated? For all the heraldry declaring his genius, Leonardo was still human with mortal failings. He went very still, only able to watch the hand under his.

 

There was a flurry of movement too fast for him to follow and the scrape of a chair on wooden floor before he felt fingers grab a fistful of his tunic and he was pulled to his feet. Warm eyes and the edge of a freshly healed scar filled his vision, breath feeling hot and heavy against the artist's mouth.

 

"Then we should investigate the matter," Ezio whispered in his liquid gold voice. "Thoroughly."

 

Leonardo's relieved laughter filled the kiss that came as Ezio claimed what sweetness still colored the artist's lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N The Perseid meteor shower wasn’t noted as an annual occurrence until 1835 but let’s just ignore that part and say that it’s something else Leonardo da Vinci discovered that was lost to history. He is credited with discovering the reason behind ‘Earthshine’ though. And I know shit about how Italians celebrate Ferragosto so please bear with me. Most of this was written in a vicodin fueled haze.

Rolling hills were a patchwork of pasture and vine that had not seen rain in many days. A narrow road carved through the valley far off from the main thoroughfare, looking quite lonely with only two dusty travelers upon it. Those few who noticed the paint mare and the dapple grey would wonder why anyone in their right mind would choose to ride in the oppressive heat even if the day was drawing to a close. The blazing Tuscan sun did not seem to care that the summer was near its end, doing its best to make sure each plant bowed under the weight of grapes that were sugar-sweet and fit to bursting.

Leonardo was surprised that the mere thought of grapes could make him smile fondly, though he suspected that from now on this would always be so.

How curious was fate! He shifted in his saddle slightly, not wanting to be obvious as he tried to relieve the ache in his saddle fatigued legs. These August nights- the study the shooting stars that were due to peak this very night- had been planned and plotted for a whole year and never once had the idea that he would be anything other than alone entered his mind. Yet here he was. Muscles sore, covered in sweat and soil and smelling very much of ‘horse’ but also very much happy to be in such a state. No, what tortured him was not any physical ailment.

“You do not have long to suffer, Leonardo!” Ezio teased lightly. “We are almost there.”

“No, no. This is good for the soul if not the body,” Leonardo answered with a laugh, quietly admiring his travel companion that so unwittingly had become his torturer. “I have grown far too complacent to travel by coach anywhere my feet cannot take me.”

The young man effortlessly maneuvered his grey closer, bringing his gelding alongside the paint. Near enough that the riders could have touched if they so desired, Leonardo noted. It would be so easy, so easy just to lean over and…

Hmm.

“Our destination will make it all worthwhile, amico.” Ezio shared a smile that held such brilliant promise that it threatened to outshine the sun. “I swear it.”

Dio mio. Leonardo would never have thought that a kiss- one single, solitary kiss- would have caused him so much upheaval. The memory of it had seared itself into his mind’s eye, replaying with alarming frequency. Time and duty had been unkind, giving the two of them little opportunity to explore much beyond that kiss. When Ezio had offered to go with him on this particular adventure, it had seemed like a gift.

But now, together and alone without another pair of eyes around for miles and yet he still could do nothing and the road ahead was still long. Leonardo was not a man to suppress his impulses. To have tasted, to have sipped at the cup with only mere happenstance denying him the chance to drink his fill-

This was agony.

He realized he had not yet answered. “I’m certain it will be as wondrous as you say, though how I could coax you into a journey on a day such as this is a mystery to me.”

“No mystery!” Ezio again offered that heart stopping smile. “You said you wished to study these shooting stars tonight and I would be a poor friend indeed to make you go alone. Not when I know the most beautiful place in all of Toscano to do so.”

“There are few who would wish to accompany me on such a quest. Some make a wish when they see the lights but most fear these phenomena, thinking they bring with them terrible things to come.”

Ezio expressed his disgust in the form a loud raspberry. “Superstition! It is absurd to blame a light passing through the night sky for the evil that men do!”

That mouth. Too much of a distraction. The feel of it, the warmth. He wanted to feel it again. Feel it right now against his-

Leonardo tried again to argue though his heart was not in it. “But Ferragosto begins tomorrow! I would have thought you would spend time with your family."

At this a touch of color appeared on the young man’s cheeks. “Mi famiglia is important, true, but this time of year always brings out the more... amorous side of my parents. Any excuse to flee is a good one.” He shook his head, eager to shake any undesired images from it. “And how can I deny you when you give me the best of excuses?”

They continued on with the sun at their backs as it fell towards the horizon.

It was a relief when Ezio sat a little straighter in his stirrups. "Ah! We're here!" He clucked to his grey, urging him onwards and the gentle word Leonardo had for his mare had her following close behind. They rounded a ridge and the view that unfolded prodded Leonardo’s burdens from his mind.

A valley, still soft and verdant, stretched out before them. Hugged on either side by lush mountain was a waterfall that cut through the rock to bring it all to life. Wild waters became calm at the base of it, creating a pool, small but rather deep in spots, that looked cool and welcoming.

Leonardo tried to catch his breath. “Spectacular!”

“I told you true,” said Ezio, smile warming his voice.

Eager for water, the pair of horses needed no help from their riders to find their way. The valley was just as beautiful at its heart as when seen from above. It was private, intimate, the sound of water striking the rocks only adding to the sense of seclusion.

“How did you find such a place?” Leonardo marveled as he eased his weary bones from his saddle.

“We used to visit often when I was younger,” Ezio said unhitching the girth of his saddle. He pet the shoulder of his grey as it took a noisy drink. “It’s here that my father taught us first how to make the jumps you are so fond of.”

Leonardo blindly removed the saddle from his own paint, still admiring the landscape around him, too distracted to notice the rustle of fabric and leather. “Of course. The mechanics of a dive would best match your leap of faith.”

“I think with us it was more giving us the chance to learn without dashing our fool heads on the ground!”

“There is that,” the artist laughed, imagining Ezio’s father must have been blessed with the patience of a saint. “I suppose you were quite the terror.”

“Some would say that I still am!” A hand tugged at Leonardo’s sleeve. “Come. There is still enough time yet.”

“For wha-“ The question died on Leonardo’s lips at the sight before him.

Ezio waded into the pool, wearing little beyond a token undergarment and an air of expectancy. “For a swim, of course.” His words held a quizzical note as if there should never have been any doubt. He backed further into the water as he watched the artist, fingers idly tracing patterns in his wake.

Imagination was never something Leonardo would have thought himself lacking, but his rawest, wildest dreams would never have prepared him for this… this masterpiece. Tan skin soaked in the sun as it wrapped around sculpted muscle that hugged a well proportioned frame. A small trail of hair accented the definition of his strong chest, disappearing under thin cotton that did little to disguise the outline of manhood that was just as lean and perfectly balanced as the rest of him.

This captivating devil held out a hand. “You’ll join me, no?”

Leonardo was unfastening clasps and all manner of buttons before the ability to speak returned to him. “I have no wish to be a disappointment.”

Pushing off, Ezio flipped into the water and like a river otter came up sleek and shining. His hands smoothed the water from his face, revealing a pleased grin. “I don’t think you could ever disappoint me.”

Boots were gone and his doublet was off before Leonardo knew it and he was bounding into the water before he would permit himself to feel any more pale and out of place. At last, the water was cool on his overheated skin and he desperately scrubbed at it, hoping to be rid of the grime of travel. He came up after dunking his head, blinking the droplets from his eyes to spot Ezio climbing alongside the waterfall.

Simply watching the man in action was a delight. Muscles working in concert to scale the rock’s face with ease, soaked undergarments clinging to his skin with obscene tenacity. Ezio made it to a small overhang and looked to Leonardo. “Once for old time’s sake!” he called to the artist and dove with no hesitation.

It still thrilled Leonardo to see it, the grace and form, the smooth line of him as Ezio broke the water’s surface cleanly, with barely a drop out of place. Several moments passed before he realized that Ezio had not returned for air.

That is, until he felt a hand at the small of his back.

“So.” The softly spoken word tickled the curve of his ear. “Is this to your liking?”

Leonardo turned into the whisper, speaking against lips that refused to shy away. “Very much so.”

“I’m glad.”

There was something, a gentle touch against his hip that could have been mistaken for a bit of flotsam or some turbulence but Leonardo knew better from the warm eyes that watched his every move.

“You have been too kind to share this with me,” he murmured, the back of his hand drifting through the water to graze a thigh in return.

Ezio smiled a victorious smile, as confident in the water as he was on land. “I have been less than truthful, I’m afraid,” he said, bold once more. “There is a price for my kindness.”

“Really?” Leonardo did little to mask his amusement just as he failed to mask the shiver from fingers ghosting up his ribcage. “So what do I owe for this kindness?” He retaliated with the lightest touch to the back of the other man’s knee as it floated past and was delighted to see Ezio squirm.

“A kiss!” Ezio demanded, floating on his back after a playful flip, tilting his head back to watch the world from upside down.

Leonardo caught the other man under his shoulders, guiding them both through the water as Ezio let himself hang suspended by his own natural buoyancy, as if offering up that magnificent body.

“A kiss?” the artist asked, hiding his smile in his beard. “I believe that can be arranged.” Ignoring the waiting mouth, he instead dipped his head to taste the droplets that pooled just under man’s collar bone. Following it with his tongue, he turned Ezio underneath him to access the hollow of his sternum, sucking, catching one nipple between his teeth before turning on the other. Moving lower, he traced along the fine line of hair to the belly button where he kissed it again and again with relish at each hitch in the younger man’s breath.

Leonardo ceased his ministrations to collect himself. This night would not end quickly if he could help it. A small burst of pleasure suffused him at witnessing Ezio slowly surface through the fog of his own arousal.

The young man blinked dumbly at him, the first hint of artlessness there had been from Ezio all day. His words tripped over his tongue. “Why… you…”

“Is our debt settled?” Leonardo asked innocently, hoping twilight would mask his own obvious flush.

It was as if the words awakened some great sleeping beast. “Not in the slightest!” Ezio growled, thrashing through the water to reach his target. Leonardo laughed into that hungry mouth as it descended upon him, tongue probing, lips trying to eat him alive. They wrestled together, each one wishing to be first to taste a new part of the other. So entangled were their limbs that the threat of drowning became very real so the two slowly dragged themselves to the shallows.

Leonardo sat propped up on his elbows at the water’s edge, pulse pounding in his ears as Ezio crawled to him on all fours, stalking him. He refused to back down, asking a question even though a determined young man suckled at the beads of water clinging to Leonardo’s own upper lip. “What else do you require of me?

A slow smile, eyes bright in the darkness. “I require… “ Ezio ran a free hand down the length of the pale man beneath him. “I require…”

The loud grumble from his belly had Ezio turning the most delicious shade of red.

Leonardo tried not to laugh, reaching up for a quick kiss to ease the discomfiture. “You require food, I see,” he said. He scrambled out from underneath Ezio, adding a teasing pat to the stomach. “Let’s get you fed before you waste away to nothing.”

The heat of late summer gave them no reason to reclaim the rest of their clothing. Together they assembled a semblance of dinner from what they had with them; cheese, some bread, slices of cold lamb in vinegar for one, a stew of beans and eggplant for the other. They ate in companionable silence, stealing occasional glances back and forth. Once they had their fill, they made sure the horses had their needs tended to for the night.

Laying out a simple blanket for the two to share, Ezio looked to the heavens. “The old moon is in the new moon’s arms,” he pointed out. “Should make watching the stars easier, no?”

The question startled Leonardo. So absorbed had he been with the other man that he was ashamed to find he quite simply had forgotten their original purpose. “Yes, it should,” he said, looking up to find the thin sliver of moon hanging in the night sky. “Though the moon is part of what I seek to observe as well.”

Ezio shot him a puzzled look as he sprawled out on the ground. “How do you observe the moon when there is so little to be seen?”

Leonardo settled in alongside him and pointed to the skies. “See how brightly the new moon shines! Like a mirror, it reflects the sun’s rays back to us. Yet you can see the old moon there but with an ashen glow.” He could feel Ezio inch towards him and there was a nod of affirmation against his shoulder.

“I believe the radiance we see is due to the earth’s oceans, reflecting the sun’s light to the moon and back to us again,” Leonardo continued, hand outlining the shapes in the firmament. “What makes up the moon that it should reflect such light is a mystery still. Perhaps there are vast oceans there that one day man might sail across it.”

“And what of the shooting stars?” Ezio asked, held enrapt by the story pale fingers told as they traced the celestial sphere.

“Ah! The tears of Saint Lawrence!” His enthusiasm burst through of its own accord. “Every year they fall from the constellation Perseus, their peak falling at this date. Understanding their nature is beyond the limits of my own knowledge but perhaps one day when we are better able to view the skies... Oof, I ramble. I’m sure I bore you to tears-“

A hand tenderly cupped his cheek, bringing Leonardo in for a kiss along his jaw. “Impossible.”

They turned to each other; eyes acclimated to the night simply to watch for a moment before hands began a slow exploration. Leonardo traced abdominal muscles as fingers walked down his spine.

Just for a moment, Ezio paused at the edge of cloth secured at the paler man’s waist before dipping lower, searching for what was beneath. Leonardo had no such hesitation, smoothing his hands across firm buttocks and in a heartbeat they were both fully exposed to the heavens above. They lay side to side, face to face and completely open to each other.

Leonardo melted into it, the not-so-familiar touch of another around his cock. Ezio watched him with such fascination, noting the cause of every twitch, every jerk as Leonardo hardened in his grasp. Fingers slipping back the foreskin, circling the glans. The teasing was quickly too much.

But he was not one to lose himself so easily. He claimed Ezio’s cock with his own hand, revisiting every touch and then some, pumping the shaft whose curve fit his palm so well.

They writhed together, falling into a rhythm, too easily figuring out what the other liked. Leonardo would arch into every twist on the upstroke, Ezio trembling whenever there was a squeeze at the head of him. They stayed like this, working each other, heads bowed together to better capture each flutter of breath, every low moan.

Leonardo felt himself approaching the end when a hint of movement caught his eye. There it was. A shooting star.

“Look, Ezio. Look!” he called, crushing the other man to him as he redoubled his efforts.

Face turned to the sky, Ezio was panting wildly as another beam of light streaked through the atmosphere. “Beautiful…so beautiful,” was all he could say before collapsing against Leonardo’s shoulder, his whole body convulsing, cries tearing out of him with each pulse as he came.

Those wondrous sounds. It was too much for any mortal man to take and Leonardo was shaking and shuddering along with him, both of them spilling across the other’s hand.

They curled together, settling into a comfortable lassitude to watch the show the universe had prepared for them and them alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> done for divinebird's birthday over at livejournal. The paper that Leonardo finds exists in real life.
> 
> Feedback always appreciated.

Flames danced higher though Leonardo did not notice.He mindlessly stirred and stirred and stirred, the contents of his small brown pot bubbling unnoticed while he was too consumed with other things.

It had been two weeks since Ferragosto.Two weeks since he had returned with Ezio from the countryside.

Two weeks since he’d last heard from the young man at all.

“Merda!”

The word was out of him like a shot, pain raining down across the back of his hand.His soupy concoction had gone ignored for too long, boiling beeswax splattering against unprotected skin. A bucket of water saved him, quickly cooling the wax before it could burn him too badly.He took to a chair heavily, discarding the pot with the others littering his table; yet another spoiled attempt at preparing his paints.

What a mess he was; mooning about like some petulant child with Ezio too much on his mind.

This silence was maddening.The first messenger he’d sent had sworn his letter had been delivered to the Auditore household.So had the second.Leonardo attempted to call on Ezio at home but Annetta had greeted him at the door with a look full of sympathy to tell him the young man was not at home.

He hadn’t had the courage to return.

Two weeks and he could still feel the kiss under the night’s sky. See the man’s smile. Feel himself being tested by Ezio’s grasp. 

What a fool he was.

Leonardo reached for another bowl with a sigh.More creative invectives came to mind as he used the muller to grind his pigments with no small amount of violence.

Idiota.

Trust had been hard for Leonardo to find again.Not when he’d almost been handed a death sentence. Newly famous he might have been, but a few anonymous words put to paper was all it took to for him to be simply a bastard once more. 

Charges of sodomy. Threatened with the gallows for something that all Firenze was accustomed to as long as it kept itself behind closed doors.Open accusations though would not be ignored no matter how steeped in anonymity.That fact had been etched into his mind.

The beatings that he’d been sentenced to as punishment made sure of that.

He rustled through a collection of vials, barely aware of what he did as he went through the motions.His hands found their way to the oil of poppy seed with little help from his mind.

How naïve he had been to think that Ezio would consign all of that to the past.Leonardo had been so careful, so keen to watch and observe before he made that first ham fisted overture that Ezio had been so quick to accept.It had felt so real, so right during their night under the stars.

Yet the past two weeks made him keenly aware that he had somehow misjudged.

A pool of oil was suddenly spreading across his table, having completely missed the bowl as he poured without thinking.

Imbecille.

He hastened to save what he could from further disaster, haphazardly shoving aside papers and scrolls as he used a rag to sop up the evidence of his ineptitude.The stack of his papers was now too precariously close to the edge and tumbled to the floor, much to his dismay.

Fate was petty as well as cruel, it seemed.

He sorted through the pile, trying to return them to the semblance of order they’d been in prior to their fall.As he returned the sheets to the table, a small scrap fluttered from it, determined to return to the floor.He retrieved it with a frown, unsure why there was so little writing upon it.Paper was so scarce, so expensive he was wont to use every square inch he could.Was it a note from a patron?No, it was easily recognizable as his own hand.

 _I am without any friends_

A wave hit him, cold and numbing; a jump into a lake too early in the spring.

He tried to keep the shake from his hands, turning the paper over even though he knew full well what was on the other side.

 _If there is no love, what then?_

Dio mio, what damnable piece of idiocy had made him keep this?Waiting for a sentence that might have had him swinging at the end of a rope, he had written it in his darkest hour. Had it really only been months ago? He should have burned the paper and buried the ashes. Forgotten its very existence. Yet here it was, stabbing at the same wound that was again now raw and bloodied.

The note slipped from his fingers, floated gently back atop the stack, deceptively light though it weighed so heavily on his mind.

Leonardo needed to be rid of this despondency before it crushed him.He carried himself to the back corner of his workshop and peered into the darkness.Kneeling, he ran his hands over one leather bound case, then another as if deciding on a book.He settled on the smaller case and eased it open.

The case was worn and battered; doing its duty to protect the instrument inside it.A twist to tighten the horsehaired bow before it was set aside.Leonardo pulled the lira da braccio from its resting place and began to tune it string by string.Once satisfied, he took them both in hand and set the lira against his shoulder to play.

He paced the length of his workshop with eyes closed as he played, knowing precisely the path he needed from his hours of practice.Its sound filled him, made him whole.Rich and layered, the lira harmonized with itself in the most fantastical of ways. The bordone –the drone it created- hummed along with the chords he chose, weaving its way through the notes. He improvised as he so often did to create a mournful song, a song of longing.

It could have been minutes or hours that he played but he played until his ache had faded.

“That was beautiful.”

Leonardo nearly dropped his precious lira, twisting to find the source of that voice.“Ezio!”

He was there.No ghost or illusion.A handsome young man bearing a small satchel and a sheepish smile.“I knocked, but you did not answer. I heard you playing so…”

“No, no that’s quite all right.” Leonardo set the lira aside, trying to shield his breathlessness. “I sometimes get lost in my music.”

“Am I disturbing you?” The young man showed much trepidation. “I can return later if you wish.”

Leonardo studied him with confusion.He found no malice, no trickery.“I fear this day is already counted as lost. Please stay.”

Ezio came closer, smelling of sweat and horses.“I have something to show you.”

This was met with stunned silence.It was as if the past two weeks had not happened.Which of them had gone mad, for Leonardo could not be sure?

Taking no notice in his excitement, Ezio set the satchel down where the remains of the day’s disastrous beginnings were strewn about.He removed a bundle of cloth from his bag and carefully began to peel back its layers.

Curiosity brought Leonardo out of his daze and he could not resist examining its contents. Cogs and pulleys, some broken, some not. Springs and wire of his own design.

His breath left him.“The clock from the rooftops!” he exclaimed, remembering that fateful night where it had met its unfortunate demise. Leonardo was baffled, a state he rarely found himself in.“But that was weeks ago!”

“I know. I retrieved them the very next evening, though the guards gave me some trouble,” Ezio admitted as if this were a minor inconvenience.“It was what needed replacing that took so long.”He reached into his waistcoat, full of apology. “They were held up in Bologna so I rode out to fetch them. The road outside Monzuno was washed out or I would have been back days ago.”

Ezio presented an assortment of wheels of different sizes, each one crafted to match their damaged originals.

“You went to Bologna?” Leonardo felt lightheaded.“For _this_?”

“For _you_ ,” Ezio corrected softly.As Leonardo’s silence stretched out between them, worry made the words trip off of Ezio’s tongue. “Is this not right?I can go back. Get what you need. I probably should have asked first but I thought it best be a surpr-“

The sentiment was never finished since Leonardo captured the other man in a kiss.Ezio was clearly perplexed at the relief that was poured into this kiss, but happily appreciated the forcefulness that came with it.Lips and teeth and tongue were around and in and through.The parts of the clock lay forgotten as Ezio let himself be devoured.

Leonardo finally released him, wondering if his heart would explode at seeing the wanton flush on the younger man’s face.

“So I take it you are pleased?” Ezio asked in a daze.

“Very much so,” Leonardo answered, smile coming easily for the first time in days. “Come.Let us dine.”

Ezio would not argue.

After dinner, Leonardo insisted on disposing the wreckage that he’d created earlier in the day.He was surprised to hear a few plucked notes as Ezio picked out a simple tune on the lira’s strings

“Do you play?” Leonardo tried to keep the astonishment from his voice.

“At my mother’s insistence,” Ezio admitted with a laugh.“My nine year old self cursed many summer afternoons that wound up being lost to a lyre.”

Leonardo was captivated.“Could I hear you? We can play together.”

At this Ezio blanched.“My skills are far inferior to yours.”Seeing the artist’s face start to fall, he quickly amended, “But I will if you wish it.”

This was all Leonardo needed.He fetched the lyre from amongst the other instruments in his collection. “What songs do you know?” Leonardo asked as he presented it to Ezio.

“My repertoire is rather limited I’m afraid,” he said idly, taking a seat to tune the lyre with competence.“I think I remember ‘Quant de vous seul’.My sister made us play it for her far too many times.”

The French song was an old one that had been popular all across Europe.Leonardo knew it well, for it was often requested.

They sat together and played.Ezio showed his distaste at each note that he missed but his body soon remembered and the melody fell into place.The lira and the lyre complemented each other beautifully, creating a textured harmony.

“Again?”Leonardo asked with more than a touch of hope, the song ending far too quickly.

Ezio beamed.“For you? Of course.”

The song began again.

And this time- Leonardo began to sing.His usual tenor was clear and he used it to its full range.

Quant de vous seul.

For you alone.

Leonardo knew little French, but his ear for music made sure he captured its essence.Someone had translated it for him, but he did not need to know the words to understand their emotion.He knew his voice was pleasant enough for people would not clamor for him to sing if it were not so.

Quant de vous seul je pers la veue.

For you alone I lose my sight.

His heart wrapped up in it, Leonardo knew the song took on new meaning.He was transported until the last notes died away.

He looked up to see Ezio standing over him, lyre carefully abandoned.

“Amazing,” Ezio whispered before leaning in for a kiss.

Leonardo was not as careful about setting down his lira.He returned the kiss with a hunger that had been bottled up for fourteen days, fists balling up in the hair that fell loosely about Ezio’s face.

It made Ezio chuckle. That warm, seductive rumble that shouldn’t have made Leonardo’s pulse race as it did that set him to moving, pulling Ezio to the floor to kneel with him.

Complex lacings and buttons were little barrier to Leonardo and he mouthed each new section of bronzed skin he revealed. He could taste the grime and sweat along the taut line of Ezio’s neck and savored the flavor.Ezio was doing his best to return the favor, reaching to undress the artist but Leonardo gave him little chance.

Shoving the half dressed man down, Leonardo forced Ezio to stretch out on his back, presenting this magnificent body that was an instrument of sex that Leonardo needed to play.

So he did.

First laving long paths clean with his tongue to follow with small nips and finally bites.He enjoyed watching Ezio give voice to the rhythm he had set.The sighs, the moans, the cries.It all sounded with perfect pitch.

He finally let himself look at Ezio’s arousal, rising half hard from a nest of curls, and engulfed it.There was no patience left for finesse.Not for either of them.Leonardo nursed on it, feeling it firm against his tongue.The sweat was here too, distinctly Ezio.

The scent pushed his own body well past throbbing.

His hands had business of their own to attend to; working what parts he could not wholly take in.He could feel Ezio straining, desperate for more, so Leonardo let him in deeper.

The guttural moan this caused had him smiling around the shaft in his mouth.

A few more minutes of motion and Ezio grew more and more frantic.“Leonardo!Please!”

He knew not what Ezio begged for so beautifully, though if it was release he was determined for it not to be so soon.His efforts intensified but there was a shift underneath him.Strong arms pulled him by the hips until they were aligned completely opposite and Ezio fumbled to free Leonardo from his trousers.

Suddenly there was a mouth on him.Warm and wet and wonderful and sucking with abandon. Leonardo paused to savor it, wishing he could take the time to see that mouth, that scar, stretched around his cock.

But he had other duties in which he had been remiss.

His finger moistened, Leonardo probed as he worked the cock in his mouth.First one knuckle, then up to the second.He explored further, thrusting this way and that, and this very nearly proved to be his undoing as Ezio‘s moan piped itself straight up his spine.

There was a twitch and a tell tale tightening and Leonardo refused to slow down. The thighs to either side of him trembled and Ezio came, thrusting madly even as he tried to suckle through his own abortive breaths.

The taste was bitter and salt and Leonardo made sure this too was clean.

Ezio came back down to earth, reawakening to take Leonardo’s cock once more.His work was sloppy but enthusiastic, with more than a hint of delicious roughness that had Leonardo to the edge in a hurry.He took Leonardo as deeply as he could manage and the hum of contentment was what did Leonardo in. Pulse after pulse and Ezio took it, took it all, until Leonardo had nothing left to give.

Leonardo felt like an old man, sore knees and elbows making themselves known as he collapsed atop the wonderful man beneath him.Ezio shifted with him, delivering a final kiss to exchange flavors before the sated pair was asleep where they lay, too satisfied to notice the cool wooden floor.

\-------------------------------------

The song mentioned is Quant de vous seul by Johannes Ockeghem

You can hear it here.http://www.mignarda.com/cds/fortuna/clips/03.mp3


	5. Chapter 5

Another scorching day of summer and Florence came alive to revel in it.The streets were loud and raucous, every man, woman and child dressed in brightly colored, flamboyant attire that they would have been hard pressed to find themselves wearing on any other day.

Vendors took the opportunity to hawk their wares and only added to the cacophony.All manner of flavors were for sale- sweet and savory, delicately light or hearty and filling.Delicious aromas were enough to tempt all who passed, offered up in trappings of boldest red or brilliant blue.

None of this was enough to tempt Leonardo, who ignored a twinge of regret as he pressed through the scene.He worked his way into the ebb and flow of the crowd even as he worked his arm into the sleeve of his doublet.He was not one to be so harried to run through the streets as he dressed, but today was far from normal.There would be those who considered his behavior unseemly but he cared little.Reaching Piazza Santa Croce before the trumpet’s call was all that mattered.

It had been six months since _Il Magnifico_ had personally commissioned Leonardo to create today's spectacle and with it came one warning.

No delays.No mistakes.

 _ Calcio in Livrea _ was a proud Florentine tradition; a tournament where the young noblemen of Florence represented each of four districts would meet with the goal of beating each other bloody over a small, round ball.The game sounded like pure insanity to Leonardo's ears; no rules, no holds barred.Plenty of blood and broken bones though as players did whatever they deemed necessary on their path to glory. 

Leonardo had little inclination to follow such lunacy in the past, only knowing the red shirted men of Santa Maria Novella had beaten all comers quite literally in recent years and would again meet the blues of the Holy Cross in the finals match of his design.A parade of drummers and flag bearers would lead the two surviving teams through all of _Firenze_ to meet in front of the Basilica di Santa Croce, cobblestone streets packed with straw and dirt to create the perfect substrate for utter mayhem.

It was Leonardo who had been chosen to create the ostentatious display.The greatest of grandstands to the costumes for the drummer boys- the smallest of details were his responsibility.Anything less than perfect would be seen as an affront to the House of Medici and those that offended _Casa di Medici_ found themselves regretting it greatly.

“ _Permesso_ ,” Leonardo said again and again as he edged through the crowd, dodging mothers too preoccupied with their brood and old men full of too much wine too early in the morning.“ _Permesso_.”

Six months of labor led up to today.Leonardo had taken great care to be certain that all pieces of the puzzle were in place well before they were required.Unusual for him, but it was his tendency towards procrastination that often kept him out of _Il Magnifico's_ good graces.Arriving late or not at all to an event of his making would likely not reflect well on the artist so Leonardo hurried along.

One would think that a fascination with clocks would lend itself to some sort of punctuality but this was hardly ever so.Life was a beautiful thing, richly complex in all manner of ways that demanded his attention.

There was one thing in particular that fascinated him beyond all measure as of late.

 _ Just this morning at the edge of dawn, broad hands awakened him to say goodbye by tracing the line of his hipbone, a sinfully talented mouth forcing a laugh from him as it blew delicate puffs of air, stirring the fine hairs scattered around his navel – _

Leonardo quickened his pace, amazed at how visceral his response was, almost losing himself in the memory once more.

Since Ezio’s return from Bologna, they'd passed the time in as much easy conversation as gentle exploration, getting to know one another through simple talk, touch and taste.

Dio mio.It had seemed so fleeting but in truth they'd been near inseparable for the whole of two days. He sighed and continued onward.

Ezio had departed that morning at some ungodly hour, murmuring vague words of regret.Before Leonardo was coherent enough to formulate a question, the soft whispered reassurances had him drifting back into sated sleep.

It was the boisterous noise of the world outside his door that awakened him.It was plain; the world had moved on without him. Today was the day. His work was about to come to fruition before all of Firenze without its creator in attendance.

With that, Leonardo barely made it into shirt and breeches before he rushed to remedy his foolishness.Appearances meant little to him but his presence was no doubt required. Timeliness was key. He knew he had to focus on the task at hand, avoid getting caught up in memories of Ezio no matter how engrossing-

 _ Half groan, half sigh- a note that was music to Leonardo’s ears when he kissed along the edge of an elegant collar bone- _

Merda.The wave of pure want could have knocked him to his knees.It was not often that he was so overwhelmed by his desires. He took a moment to compose himself and continued.

Taking a small side street, Leonardo knew to avoid the bedlam of the Piazza itself.No, he headed a back way, to the rear of the grandstands where the players assembled that he had specifically designed to keep free of crowds.An easy route to cart off the injured that would undoubtedly be needed.

A quick hop over a gate and Leonardo was in the heart of the beast, the roar of the crowd giving it breath.It appeared he had arrived right on time. The people were still filling row upon row of risers above him; full of excitement, eager for the game to begin.Or blood to be shed, more like.

It gave Leonardo pause, hand settling on the wooden truss of the grandstands to contemplate how he could best reach his patron’s location through the unruly crowd.So absorbed was he that the gentle touch to the small of his back had him leaping out of his skin.

“You came,” was the pleased whisper in the artist’s ear.

Heart finally settling back into his chest, Leonardo turned. “Ezio!” 

The handsome young man was a surprising sight, almost unrecognizable in his unfamiliar attire.Gone was his usual shirt and vest that hugged his form.Instead there was a tunic of the purest red that matched the ribbon in his hair that he so often favored. Trousers were stripes of black and crimson trimmed in gold, looser at the waist to allow easy movement but slimmer over the calf to avoid any hindrance.

Leonardo cursed his addled wits. Of course Ezio would be here; any able bodied noble’s son would be expected and Ezio was certainly more able bodied than most.

Ezio was completely at ease, leaning in to share a quick confidence. “I would have thought you’d prefer to avoid today’s mayhem altogether but it is good to see you.”

“No, I have no love for violence,” he replied with a wry smile. “It is my work that brings me here today.”

“Work?”The young man lit up, laying a hand close to the artist’s own to examine the wooden belly of the grandstands with renewed appreciation. “Is this one of your works?”

Leonardo couldn’t resist giving Ezio’s tunic a small tug.“As is this.”

Eyebrows arched in surprise. “So _you_ are responsible for these?”Ezio let out a delicious laugh.“This fabric- ugh.This uniform is far too itchy.”The rich voice dropped to a murmur for only Leonardo to hear. “I can’t wait to be out of it.”

The urge to grant Ezio his wish -right here, right now- shot through Leonardo like a bolt of lightning.

A harsh, high pitched voice cut through this instinctive flirtation.“What a surprise!” 

They were joined by a group of men all dressed in the team blues of Holy Cross, led by a swarthy man that was far too young for his face to be twisted up with such cruelty. “The game is about to begin and the Auditore run and hide.“

Ezio’s whole demeanor shifted into a wiry bundle of anger.“Save it for the field, Vieri!” he snapped at the pack’s leader.“That way I can humiliate you in front of an audience.” 

“Bold words!” the brutish young man snarled back. “We’ll see who ends up humiliated.”The crass young thing looked almost joyful at Ezio’s bristling behavior so he persisted.

“Is _he_ your new woman?” Vieri sneered, strutting before them like an alley cat spoiling for a fight.“He’s very pretty.”

“Hold your tongue, _stronzo_!”

“Or is it the other way ‘round?” Vieri crowed, delighting in the effect he was having. Leonardo felt sick to his stomach when the crude young man turned his way. “Does the _brutto bastardo_ bend over for _you_ instead?”

Ezio was ready to explode; Leonardo’s restraining hand at his elbow the only thing stopping him.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Vieri relished his words as he continued. “I bet he moans for it like a whore-“

“And what would you know of whores?” A self-assured voice had everyone turning to the lean young man who sauntered over to join them.He was dressed in red finery that matched Ezio. “Word is that even the whores refuse to take your florins.”

The resemblance in both look and demeanor was uncanny.Leonardo knew Ezio had brothers; that the tension that radiated from Ezio vanished only confirmed this. 

What was the elder’s name? Yes, Federico.

Ezio’s brother was placid but for a twitch of trouble on his lips. “They say the Pazzi are so desperate that shepherds hide their flock when the Pazzi look to take a bride.”

It was Vieri’s turn to hover on the edge of explosion. “ _Succhiacazzi_!” 

The crowd around them turned deafening as a trumpeter blasted out a call.

A squat old man dressed in a shade of yellow that very much made him look like a lemon toddled up to them, either oblivious or uncaring at the tension hanging in the air.“Gentlemen!To the pitch please! _Firenze_ awaits!”

The young men bristled at each other for a moment before following the lemon out onto the playing field.This was far from over.

Ezio trailed behind, anger fading as he faced Leonardo.“I’m sorry for that bit of unpleasantness.”

“Don’t let it trouble you,” Leonardo said in all honesty.“I’ve crossed paths with men like him before.”A pang of anxiety had him raising a hand to bar Ezio from leaving. “You will keep safe.Won’t you?”

“Me?” A smirk came from the young man, loaded with mischief.“I’ll be fine. It’s Vieri you should be worrying about.”The confidence that Ezio radiated was washed away by a wave of doubt, a warm blush crawling up his cheeks.“N..no.Don’t even _think_ about that worthless _testa di cazzo_ at all… I mean-“

“Go now,” Leonardo interrupted, enamored with this flustering.“Come back in one piece.”

Confidence restored, Ezio offered up a dazzling smile before he was off to rejoin his brother.

Leonardo made his way to the view box that held his patron with no small amount of trepidation.The two teams, red and blue, filtered onto the field to the crowd’s thunderous applause.A cloud of ill will hung heavily between the teams.

Il Magnifico watched it all with a hawkish eye, wife at his side.Leonardo found his arrival acknowledged with a simple nod.“Leonardo.How good of you to join us.”

The artist resigned himself to the usual pleasantries. “I hope you have found the festivities satisfactory so far, _Signore_.”

A smile came to Lorenzo’s sharp features and brought with it a wellspring of relief.“More than satisfactory.”

The two teams, twenty seven men apiece, were finally lined up for Lorenzo’s regal review.The brothers Auditore were close enough to the view box that Leonardo could have easily chatted with them if he dared.Ezio found him in the crowd and offered up another smile.Leonardo was ready to return it but faltered when he saw Vieri watching them both with a keen eye.

In the middle of them all popped up the round little man that had broken up the incident under the grandstand, brandishing a ball of solid white.“Gentlemen!” bellowed the lemon.“Salute!”

Red and blue bowed to the royals as one before turning to bow to each other.Even this held no respect.

“ _Pompinaio_ ,” whispered Vieri, loud enough that even Leonardo could hear, smiling his oily little smile that Ezio looked ready to remove by force if necessary.

“I have some words for your mother, Vieri,” Federico calmly whispered back. “Baaaa,” he bleated softly like a newborn lamb.“Baaaa.”

Vieri turned beet red.His roar of “figlio di puttana!” was interrupted by the trumpeter’s call as the lemon tossed his ball into the air and the game began.

It was bedlam.

When it was said there were no rules in Calcio, it meant ‘no rules’.Slapping, kicking, chokeholds.Nothing was off limits and the players used this to the best of their abilities.The only goal was to get the ball into their opposing team’s camp and deposit it into a wide net.It was getting there through the tackling and thrown punches that was the challenge.

In no time at all the tunics that Ezio had found so uncomfortable were either shed or forcibly removed from the wearer as the battle got more intense.The two Auditore brothers looked like they were where they belonged; muscled backs glistening with sweat as they joyfully did their share to do as much damage as possible.

And what damage they did.For a family of bankers the two brawled like demons, taking on all comers with ease as they defended a teammate during his charge to the net.

The ball flew into its target cleanly; the first score of the match went to Santa Maria Novella and the crowd burst into cheers with red flags waving.

For a man with no love for violence, bearing witness to the devastation on the field was torture. Leonardo found himself trapped between horror and fascination at the raw physicality. In a strange way, the brothers Auditore were beautiful as the caused bloodshed.Their movements were agile, graceful even; kicks and punches as elegant as the moves of any dancer.

The hour flew by. A score of 15 to 7 with only a few minutes remaining meant victory was assured for the red team and the Auditore brothers began to relax.Still trying to defend their brethren from harm, the two began showing off; taking out opponents in spectacular fashion to the crowd’s gleeful appreciation.The handsome men would preen and posture, clearly challenging each other though they could no longer be heard over the ruckus.There was a glare of annoyance from Ezio when his brother nearly doubled over in laughter.Federico made a few gestures, taking a moment to head butt an attacker with casual ease before resuming his discussion.

Ezio did not appear to appreciate his brother’s criticism. An opponent took one look at his dour expression and fled.Not to be denied, Ezio sprinted after him to launch forward, becoming near horizontal almost a meter off of the ground to tackle the man in spectacular fashion.

Getting to his feet, Ezio looked to his brother expectantly with his hands held wide.Federico rewarded him with polite applause. 

The crowd adored every second of it.

And where was Vieri?Leonardo had noticed him ignoring his teammates as they were picked off one by one, keeping to the shadows to avoid attention.

Until now.

With minutes remaining, the Pazzi appeared to face off against Auditore, murder in his eyes. 

The crowd went deathly quiet.

Leonardo was on his feet as he watched them circle each other, each man waiting, waiting. No good would come of this.

A blast of the trumpeter’s horn brought an end to the game.Fans stormed the pitch, forcing the outright hostility to hide itself away. Ezio looked to Leonardo to share in the triumph, dismissing Vieri without a backwards glance as the crowds swept them away. 

“Excellent work, Leonardo. You’ve done well.”

It took him a moment to realize Lorenzo was speaking to him, so intent he was on not losing Ezio in the sea of bodies.“Thank you, _Signore_. Now if you’ll excuse me- _”_ Leonardo barely answered before vaulting over the partition himself.

Too many people.Leonardo was pushed and pushed back as he made his way to where he had last seen the brothers Auditore.

A sweaty arm wound its way around his waist for a bear of a hug.

“Victory!”Ezio crowed, releasing the artist with a blazing smile.It was impossible to not smile along with him.

“No thanks to you, brother!” Federico teased as he joined them, pulling a fresh tunic over his head.He addressed his next question to Leonardo. “Did you see his technique?So sloppy!”

Ezio stared daggers at his brother, though the flush that managed to suffuse his whole chest told another story. “ _Chiudi il becco_!”

“I will _not_ shut up!” Ignoring his brother’s discomfiture, Federico threw an arm around his brother’s neck as punishment, capturing him with a head lock.

“You need more practice!” Federico insisted, dealing with his brother’s useless struggles by delivering a few hard raps to Ezio’s skull.“But you fought well.”Delivering a kiss to the crown of his brother’s head, Federico released him.Ezio was pure scarlet, unable to meet anyone’s eye as he hastily threw on his tunic.

Out of nowhere Leonardo felt the weight of Federico’s scrutiny.

“You’ll have to excuse us both.My brother has the manners of a pig,” Federico offered easily.“I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced, Messere-“

“Da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci.”

“Oh. _Oh_!” The older Auditore blanched in realization. “A pleasure to meet you. Ezio speaks of you often.”

It was extraordinary how much this revelation warmed him but Leonardo could see Ezio turn utterly wretched at what his brother might say next. 

“In good ways I hope,” the artist continued, more than bemused.

“Only the best.” Federico turned to his brother, fully contrite. “I should leave you two to your own devices.” He clapped a hand on Leonardo’s shoulder.“Try to keep him out of trouble, will you?”

With that, the man was off, scaling the side of a building as if this was a task of no consequence.

Leonardo covered a cough with his hand.“Your brother is most… entertaining.”

“He’s something all right. Exactly what I dare not say.” It was good to see Ezio laugh. “Shall we go? I’m famished.”

Together they wound their way through the city streets towards the workshop.The crowds were still thick and unruly so the going was slow.

“What of your teammates?”Leonardo asked, pausing to allow an elderly woman to pass.“The winners were to dine on a fatted calf tonight if I recall.”

"You remember correctly." Ezio played at being cool but there was a spark in the quirk of his lips. "But there’s other company I prefer to keep.”

Good lord, how could something so small inflame him so?This man was entirely too addicting.Leonardo might find himself consumed.

This was not such a bad thing.

Dinner was a tense affair but not in a bad way.Drawn out silence was occasionally filled with mild pleasantries.There were far too many small touches, too many small looks and Leonardo ached for it to be over.

It was slow going to clear the table without a steady hand and the second the last cup was set aside, a body pressed against the back of him, hot, open kisses tasting the line of his jaw.

Seems he wasn’t the only one with an itch to scratch.

He twisted in Ezio’s grasp.Face to face was what he wanted and his need for it was raw, primal. They worked each other’s mouths, teeth and tongues clashing, sometimes painfully but it mattered not.Fingers twisted up in the other’s hair, it would take a force of nature to get them apart at this very moment.

They tumbled into bed somehow, neither sure how their tangle of legs coordinated to get them there. It was the frenzy to expose as much flesh as possible that forced their kiss to come to an end. 

Ezio rolled onto his back, letting out a guttural groan of frustration as he struggled with the tie to his breeches. Leonardo was more than happy to help, biting at the skin just above the waistband as his fingers undid the knot.Hmm.The fabric was as uncomfortable as Ezio had said.No matter.This would be of little concern in just about- ah!

He slid the offending garment down Ezio’s hips just as much as was needed to find the arousal straining to greet him. The sweat of the day’s efforts was heady, fanning the flames still higher, and there was no holding back. 

The smooth head was in his mouth.He could taste the salt, the musk, and he relished it as if it were the finest dish. Tongue curling around it, Leonardo applied the slightest of suction and simply that had caused a very different sort of groan.Hands caressed the nape of his neck at his efforts though they shook with every twist, every bob.How gentle Ezio could be, a startling contrast to the violence of morning.

Perhaps that violence could be channeled into more productive ways.

Leonardo hoped to find out.

A deep breath and he engulfed the man to the root. The cry this earned him was a magnificent thing.He came up and swallowed the cock again.The twitch he felt in his mouth was gratifying but he had to hold off, very much wanting more.

As he pulled away, Ezio turned almost frantic.“Where are you… please!” he babbled, hands questing to Leonardo to touch anywhere he could reach.

“One moment.” 

Leonardo fumbled for a vial at his bedside. There was something he would need. For all their intimacy, they had not gone this route yet together and for him it was a long time since his last. He let the oil warm in his hands and Ezio waited with hungry eyes.

He straddled the young man’s thighs, trying to push aside how awkward he must look as he prepared himself.There was an urge to keep it brief and he set about opening himself in a perfunctory manner but a hand on his hip stayed his hand.

Ezio carefully took the vial from Leonardo’s hand.Together they watched Ezio pour some oil for himself. 

His fingers were tentative at first, shorter and fatter than Leonardo’s own but Ezio watched his every move.What caused a wince was eased away and not repeated.Whatever earned him a sigh was done again and again until Leonardo was tossing his head, bucking under the feel of it. The small circles, the feel of more than one finger shifting inside him.All of it in preparation and it was delicious.

He was ready. Leonardo brought Ezio back to life with a few strokes before settling himself exactly where he wanted to be.

They went slowly at first, Leonardo setting the pace with his impalement.The feel of this was very different from a finger.The stretch, the fullness- Leonardo breathed deep to let his body adjust.Seconds, minutes, hours passed until he was seated fully and they both restrained themselves from thrusting like mad.

It started with a simple roll of his hips.An undulating wave, a slow build up of pleasure. The roughness callused fingers against his skin added to it, Ezio’s hands roaming everywhere and anywhere as they moved together. Through the haze Leonardo could see Ezio watching him closely, trying hard to commit every moment to memory.

Might as well make it a memory worth saving.

He leaned back, hand propping himself from behind to ride the magnificent man underneath him. The pace was under his control, savoring the hint of friction inside him.There was a spot, good god, this was a wondrous spot that he angled himself to find with each movement.The glide past had him shivering completely out of control, arms shaking under the strain of supporting his weight.

A shouted “merda!” slipped from Ezio’s lips with no real awareness that he had done so. The whole of him was whipcord tense, muscles straining as he trembled in his rigidity. “I have… have to move. Please!Let me move.” 

Oh dear.This begging, this pleading-this was something Leonardo had never before heard from anyone.And that it would come from this man, this Adonis who could have easily taken his pleasure by force if he so wanted. 

It was the sweetest music.He had to hear it again.

But not tonight.Tonight… tonight was more urgent, more primal.

In due time.

Leonardo fell forward, Ezio’s mouth on his as soon as he was within reach and they were back to an onslaught of teeth and tongue, this time with Ezio hot and hard inside him. “Yes,” Leonardo whispered into that full mouth. “Yes.”

That was all that needed to be said.Fingers dug into his hips with just a hint of violence, pelvis driving upwards to meet his with such force that the only things that kept Leonardo where he was were the hands holding him there. 

Ezio slammed himself home again and again, driving up, up, up.A gasp of need accompanied each thrust and it took Leonardo a moment to realize these sinful noises were coming from himself.

There was a flurry of movement.Between one thrust and the next, Leonardo found themselves reversed, his own body pinned to the bed with Ezio driving into him from above.Even now in this frenzy, Ezio was searching for something with each thrust and he only found what he wanted when those wanton sounds again came unbidden from Leonardo’s throat.

The pace was rough and brutal and precisely perfect. 

Leonardo was desperate for this to last, deliberately avoiding his own arousal, but the barest of touches had his orgasm ripping through him with little warning. He pulsed and quaked, wave after wave shooting out of him until he ran dry.The thrusts within him that had slowed to ride out that pleasure resumed their previous rhythm and oh dio, dio mio Leonardo was impossibly on that fine edge all over again. The sweat dripping from Ezio’s brow tasted like nectar, that beautiful face twisting in the best kind of agony as Ezio came and came and came.

They lay together, a panting, weary mess, painting each other with small kisses until exhaustion dragged them into slumber.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calcio in Livrea or Calcio storico is still played in Florence every June 24. This story and its chapters are a bit of an experiment for me so any feedback is greatly appreciated.


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